Hub flanges from thin air!

[AtomicZombie]

Ok, not exactly from thin air, but no lathe or drill press required. For those who like to do things with minimal tools and materials...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/videos/hubflange/hubflange.htm

Cheers,
Brad

[trikeman]

Nice work.

On a similar but slightly different thought about using angle grinders to cut things, I was reading about this handy little tool that makes cutting small tubing and narrow stock a lot safer and more accurate with an angle grinder. It sort of reminds me of the small chop saw that some members purchased last year, but if you already have a grinder this might be of interest.

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G8183-Angle-Grinder-Stand/dp/B0000DD72K

[Pagan Wizard]

Nice work.

On a similar but slightly different thought about using angle grinders to cut things, I was reading about this handy little tool that makes cutting small tubing and narrow stock a lot safer and more accurate with an angle grinder. It sort of reminds me of the small chop saw that some members purchased last year, but if you already have a grinder this might be of interest.

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G8183-Angle-Grinder-Stand/dp/B0000DD72K


You know, I was seriously considdering one of those chop saws that we have been discussing here for the past several months, that was untill I saw your post in this thread. I saw this attachment for my 4 1/2 inch grinder and had to have it........my order has been placed before I even responded to your post. I will give a full review here after I put it to use.

[n9viw]

I have one of those in my garage, but I've only ever used it once. Not accurate enough to really do better than my eye and hand... or a sawsall.

Brad, if you want to drill holes larger than 1/2", why not get a few of these?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96275 or http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44460 for just up to 3/4". You can also get a set of three for smaller sizes, but I can't find them on their site.

[AtomicZombie]

Are the step drills any more acurate than using a series of bits? When I did the 3/4 holes, I stopped at 1/2 inch as the hole began to wander. After using the round file, it was perfect, but did give my arms a bit of a workout.

Brad

[trikeman]

Are the step drills any more acurate than using a series of bits? When I did the 3/4 holes, I stopped at 1/2 inch as the hole began to wander. After using the round file, it was perfect, but did give my arms a bit of a workout.

Brad

I would say yes. Once each smaller step falls through, it rotates in the hole it just drilled which is a fairly close tolerance, since it just drilled it. In other words its pretty much self-centering. The cutters are also not set at an angle the way a regular bit is. They are more of a milling machine type action cutting down from above instead of imparting the type of sideways force that the angle on a regular drill bit does. They seem to drill faster too, without all the chatter and wanting to jump out that a large regular drill bit does.

I never owned a set of step drills until last year. At first, I thought it was pretty wasteful and would be slow to drill 5 holes to get one. Once I saw how well they worked, that thought left my mind. Now, I own at least 3 sets, just in case I can't find one. One of the best $8 I ever spent at Harbor Freight.

[n9viw]

Ditto Trikeman, they pretty much self-center. I've not had one wander off on me yet; I just drill a pilot hole, then run the step bit in to my stop point (you'll note they're graduated for easy use).

Every time they go on sale, I get another set... I have three sets so far, and still haven't spent more than $10! The big set I posted is new, I haven't seen them on a good sale yet, but as soon as I do, I'm getting a few.

I, too, was skeptical, particularly as regarded using it on anything thicker than sheet metal. Put that concern out of your mind... I've used it on everything from sheet metal on up to 1/4" plate, with no problems.

I think a lot has to do with the angle of the cutting shoulders, as well as the material behind it. A drill has a very steep angle and very little meat behind the cutting edge. As a result, if you use them to open up smaller holes, you often burn the shoulders off, making the drill effectively useless until the tip is cut down far enough to create a new surface from tip to edge. I've ruined countless bits like this, even masonry bits with the carbide tips.

I highly recommend them. :D

[Richie Rich]

Same here. I have two types: one has a single flute down the side and the other is double fluted. Both work great...!!

-----> RR <-----

[TheKid]

Don't stay home without 'em!

[AtomicZombie]

Next time I make the hub flanges from flatbar, I am going to try the step drills. Thanks for the info.

Brad